[Use of prostin E2 in the treatment of stomatitis caused by radiotherapy]

Patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy for malignancies often develop annoying inflammation of the oral mucosa as a side-effect of cytotoxic therapy. As prostaglandins are known to be cytoprotective Prostin E2 was given to 10 patients with neoplasms of the ear, nose, pharynx or larynx, or of the maxillofacial region, who received radiotherapy. The reference group was made up of five patients with the analogous diagnosis who received the conventional therapy with Hexoral sol. One patient was not administered any therapy. The patients that were given Prostin E2 did not develop either the inflammatory process or stomatitis. In the reference group the inflammatory process appeared in two patients and lesions were noticed in one patient. Excellent results, although still preliminary, pointed out that preventive local administration of Prostin E2 was superior to the conventional therapy and that accordingly, Prostin E2 should be regarded as the drug of choice.